Process for the fermentative preparation of L-amino acids with amplification of the tkt gene

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of L-amino acids by the fermentation of coryneform bacteria that over-express a gene encoding transketolase.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/986,649, filed Nov. 9, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/528,196, filed Mar. 17, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to a process for the fermentative preparation of L-lysine, L-threonine and L-isoleucine using coryneform bacteria in which at least the tkt gene is amplified.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] L-Lysine, L-threonine and L-isoleucine are used in animal nutrition, in human medicine and in the pharmaceutical industry. These amino acids may be prepared by fermenting strains of coryneform bacteria, in particular Corynebacterium glutamicum. Work is constantly being undertaken to improve the processes by which amino acids are made. Improvements can relate to fermentation measures, such as, for example, the stirring and supply of oxygen, to the composition of the nutrient media (e.g., the sugar concentration during the fermentation,), to the purification of product (e.g. by ion exchange chromatography), or to the intrinsic output of the microorganism itself.

[0004] Methods of mutagenesis are often used to improve the output properties of microorganisms. Strains which are resistant to antimetabolites, such as, for example, the threonine analogue α-amino-β-hydroxyvaleric acid (AHV), or which are auxotrophic for metabolites of regulatory importance and produce L-amino acids such as threonine are obtained in this manner. Recombinant DNA methods have also been employed for some years for improving the Corynebacterium glutamicum strains which produce L-amino acid.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The inventors had the object of providing new fundamentals for improved processes for the fermentative preparation of L-lysine, L-threonine and L-isoleucine with coryneform bacteria.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] L-Lysine, L-threonine and L-isoleucine are used in human medicine and in the pharmaceuticals industry, in the foodstuffs industry and especially in animal nutrition. There is therefore a general interest in providing improved processes for the preparation of these amino acids. Where L-amino acids are mentioned below, this means L-lysine, L-threonine and L-isoleucine.

[0007] The invention provides a process for the fermentative preparation of L-amino acids using coryneform bacteria in which the nucleotide sequence which codes for the enzyme transketolase (EC number 2.2.1.1) (tkt gene) is amplified, in particular over-expressed.

[0008] The strains employed preferably already produce L-amino acids before amplification of the tkt gene. The term “amplification” in this connection describes the increase in the intracellular activity of one or more enzymes in a microorganism which are coded by the corresponding DNA, for example by increasing the number of copies of the gene or genes, using a potent promoter or using a gene which codes for a corresponding enzyme having a high activity, and optionally combining these measures. In the present invention, the use of endogenous genes is preferred.

[0009] By amplification, in particular over-expression, is meant the activity or concentration of the corresponding protein is in general increased by at least 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 150%, 200%, 300%, 400% or 500%, up to a maximum of 1000% or 2000%, depending on the starting microorganism.

[0010] The microorganisms which the present invention provides can prepare L-amino acids from glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, maltose, molasses, starch, cellulose or from glycerol and ethanol. They are representatives of coryneform bacteria, in particular of the genus Corynebacterium. Of the genus Corynebacterium, there may be mentioned in particular the species Corynebacterium glutamicum, which is known among specialists for its ability to produce L-amino acids.

[0011] Suitable strains of the genus Corynebacterium, in particular of the species Corynebacterium glutamicum, are, for example, the following wild-type strains:

[0012]Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC13032

[0013]Corynebacterium acetoglutamicum ATCC15806

[0014]Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum ATCC13870

[0015]Corynebacterium thermoaminogenes FERM BP-1539

[0016]Brevibacterium flavum ATCC14067

[0017]Brevibacterium lactofermentum ATCC13869

[0018]Brevibacterium divaricatum ATCC14020

[0019] L-amino acid-producing mutants prepared from the strains listed above may also be used. Examples of such L-threonine-producing strains include:

[0020]Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC21649

[0021]Bevibacterium flavum BB69

[0022]Brevibacterium flavum DSM5399

[0023]Brevibacterium lactofermentum FERM-BP 269

[0024]Brevibacterium lactofermentum TBB-10

[0025] Examples of L-isoleucine-producing strains include:

[0026]Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 14309

[0027]Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 14310

[0028]Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 14311

[0029]Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 15168

[0030]Corynebacterium ammoniagenes ATCC 6871

[0031] Examples of L-lysine-producing strains include:

[0032]Corynebacterium glutamicum FERM-P 1709

[0033]Brevibacterium flavum FERM-P 1708

[0034]Brevibacterium lactofermentum FERM-P 1712

[0035]Corynebacterium glutamicum FERM-P 6463

[0036]Corynebacterium glutamicum FERM-P 6464

[0037]Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC13032

[0038]Corynebacterium glutamicum DM58-1

[0039]Corynebacterium glutamicum DSM12866.

[0040] It has been found that coryneform bacteria produce L-amino acids in an improved manner after over-expression of the tkt gene, which codes for transketolase (EC number 2.2.1.1).

[0041] The nucleotide sequence of the tkt gene is disclosed under accession number AB023377 in the databank of the European Molecular Biologies Laboratories (EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany). Ikeda, et al. (Appl. Microbiol. Biotech. 51:201-206 (1999)) describe the effect of amplification of the tkt gene on the formation of L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine. The tkt gene described in the text references mentioned can be used according to the invention. Alleles of the tkt gene which result from the degeneracy of the genetic code or due to sense mutations of neutral function can also be used. The DNA sequence of tkt from C. glutamicum is shown herein as SEQ ID NO:1 and the amino acid sequence encoded by this gene is shown as SEQ ID NO:2.

[0042] To achieve an amplification (e.g. over-expression), the number of copies of the corresponding genes may be increased, or the promoter and regulation region or the ribosome binding site upstream of the structural gene may be mutated. Expression cassettes which are incorporated upstream of the structural gene act in the same way. Using inducible promoters, it is additionally possible to increase the expression in the course of fermentative L-amino acid formation. The expression is likewise improved prolonging the life m-RNA or by preventing the degradation of the enzyme. The genes or gene constructs are typically either present in plasmids with a varying number of copies, or are integrated and amplified in the chromosome. Alternatively, an over-expression of genes can be achieved by changing the composition of the media and the culture procedure.

[0043] Instructions in this context can be found, inter alia, in Martin, et al. (Bio/Technology 5:137-146 (1987)), in Guerrero, et al. (Gene 138:35-41 (1994)), in Tsuchiya and Morinaga (Bio/Technology 6:428-430 (1988)), in Eikmanns, et al. (Gene 102:93-98 (1991)), in European Patent Specification EP 0 472 869, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,893, in Schwarzer and Pühler (Bio/Technology 9:84-87 (1991), in Reinscheid et al. (Appl. Env. Microbiol. 60:126-132 (1994)), in LaBarre, et al. (J. Bacteriol. 175:1001-1007 (1993)), in patent application WO 96/15246, in Malumbres, et al. (Gene 134:15-24 (1993)), in Japanese Laid-Open Specification JP-A-10-229891, in Jensen and Hammer (Biotech. Bioeng. 58:191-195 (1998)) and in known textbooks of genetics and molecular biology. By way of example, transketolase was over-expressed with the aid of a plasmid. The E. coli-C. glutamicum shuttle vector pEC-T18mob2 shown in FIG. 1 was used for this. After incorporation of the tkt gene into pEC-T18mob2 and subsequent orientation correction of the DNA fragment carrying the tkt gene, the plasmid pMS82B shown in FIG. 3 was formed.

[0044] Other plasmid vectors which are capable of replication in C. glutamicum, such as e.g., pEKEx1 (Eikmanns et al., Gene 102:93-98 (1991)) or pZ8-1 (EP-B-0 375 889), can be used in the same way. In addition, it may be advantageous for the production of L-amino acids to amplify one or more enzymes of the particular biosynthesis pathway, of glycolysis, of anaplerosis or of amino acid export, in addition to amplification of the tkt gene, which codes for transketolase. Thus, for example, for the preparation of L-threonine, one or more genes chosen from the group consisting of

[0045] the hom gene which codes for homoserine dehydrogenase (Peoples et al., Molecular Microbiology 2, 63-72 (1988)) or the hom^(dr) allele which codes for a “feed back resistant” homoserine dehydrogenase (Archer et al., Gene 107, 53-59 (1991),

[0046] the gap gene which codes for glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Eikmanns et al., Journal of Bacteriology 174: 6076-6086 (1992)),

[0047] the pyc gene which codes for pyruvate carboxylase (Peters-Wendisch et al., Microbiology 144: 915-927 (1998)),

[0048] the mqo gene which codes for malate:quinone oxidoreductase (Molenaar et al., European Journal of Biochemistry 254, 395-403 (1998)),

[0049] the zwf gene which codes for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (JP-A-09224661),

[0050] the gnd gene which codes for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (JP-A-9-224662),

[0051] the thrE gene which codes for threonine export protein (DE 199 41 478.5; DSM 12840),

[0052] the zwa1 gene (DE 199 59 328.0; DSM 13115),

[0053] the eno gene which codes for enolase (DE: 19947791.4) can be amplified, in particular over-expressed, at the same time.

[0054] For the preparation of L-lysine, one or more genes chosen from the group consisting of:

[0055] the dapA gene which codes for dihydrodipicolinate synthase (EP-B 0 197 335),

[0056] a lysC gene which codes for a feed back resistant aspartate kinase (Kalinowski et al. (1990), Molecular and General Genetics 224: 317-324),

[0057] the gap gene which codes for glycerolaldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Eikmanns (1992), Journal of Bacteriology 174:6076-6086),

[0058] the pyc gene which codes for pyruvate carboxylase (Eikmanns (1992), Journal of Bacteriology 174:6076-6086),

[0059] the mqo gene which codes for malate-quinone oxidoreductase (Molenaar et al., European Journal of Biochemistry 254, 395-403 (1998)),

[0060] the zwf gene which codes for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (JP-A-09224661),

[0061] at the same time the gnd gene which codes for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (JP-A-9-224662),

[0062] at the same time the lysE gene which codes for lysine export protein (DE-A-195 48 222)

[0063] at the same time the zwa1 gene (DE 199 59 328.0; DSM 13115),

[0064] the eno gene which codes for enolase (DE: 19947791.4) can be amplified, preferably over-expressed, at the same time.

[0065] It may furthermore be advantageous for the production of L-amino acids at the same time to attenuate one or more of the genes chosen from the group consisting of:

[0066] the pck gene which codes for phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (DE 199 50 409.1; DSM 13047),

[0067] the pgi gene which codes for glucose 6-phosphate isomerase (U.S. Ser. No. 09/396,478, DSM 12969),

[0068] the poxB gene which codes for pyruvate oxidase (DE 199 51 975.7; DSM 13114),

[0069] he zwa2 gene (DE: 199 59 327.2; DSM 13113) in addition to the amplification of the tkt gene.

[0070] The term “attenuation” means that the activity or concentration of the corresponding protein is in general reduced to 0 to 50%, 0 to 25%, 0 to 10% or 0 to 5% of the activity or concentration of the wild-type protein.

[0071] In addition to over-expression of transketolase, it may be advantageous for the production of L-amino acids to eliminate undesirable side reactions (Nakayama: “Breeding of Amino Acid Producing Micro-organisms”, in: Overproduction of Microbial Products, Krumphanzl, Sikyta, Vanek (eds.), Academic Press, London, UK, 1982).

[0072] The microorganisms prepared according to the invention can be cultured continuously or discontinuously in a batch process (batch culture) or in a fed batch (feed process) or in a repeated fed batch process (repetitive feed process) for the purpose of L-amino acid production. A summary of known culture methods is described in the textbook by Chmiel (Bioprozesstechnik 1. Einführung in die Bioverfahrenstechnik [Bioprocess Technology 1. Introduction to Bioprocess Technology (Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1991)) or in the textbook by Storhas (Bioreaktoren und periphere Einrichtungen [Bioreactors and Peripheral Equipment] (Vieweg Verlag, Braunschweig/Wiesbaden, 1994)).

[0073] The culture medium used must meet the requirements of the particular microorganisms being fermented. Descriptions of culture media for various microorganisms are contained in the handbook “Manual of Methods for General Bacteriology” of the American Society for Bacteriology (Washington D.C., USA, 1981). Sugars and carbohydrates, such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, maltose, molasses, starch and cellulose, oils and fats, such as soya oil, sunflower oil, groundnut oil and coconut fat, fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, stearic acid and linoleic acid, alcohols, such as glycerol and ethanol, and organic acids, such as acetic acid, can be used as the source of carbon. These substance can be used individually or as a mixture. Organic nitrogen-containing compounds, such as peptones, yeast extract, meat extract, malt extract, corn steep liquor, soya bean flour and urea, or inorganic compounds, such as ammonium sulphate, ammonium chloride, ammonium phosphate, ammonium carbonate and ammonium nitrate, can be used as the source of nitrogen. The sources of nitrogen can be used individually or as a mixture. Potassium dihydrogen phosphate or dipotassium hydrogen phosphate or the corresponding sodium-containing salts can be used as the source of phosphorus. The culture medium must furthermore comprise salts of metals, such as magnesium sulfate or iron sulfate, which are necessary for growth. Finally, essential growth substances, such as amino acids and vitamins, can be employed in addition to the above-mentioned substances. Suitable precursors can moreover be added to the culture medium. The starting substances can be added to the culture in the form of a single batch, or can be fed in during the culture in a suitable manner.

[0074] Basic compounds, such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonia, or acid compounds, such as phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid, can be employed to control the pH. Antifoams, such as fatty acid polyglycol esters, can be employed to control the development of foam. Suitable substances having a selective action, e.g., antibiotics, can be added to the medium to maintain the stability of plasmids. To maintain aerobic conditions, oxygen or oxygen-containing gas mixtures, such as air, are introduced into the culture. The temperature of the culture is usually 20° C. to 45° C., and preferably 25° C. to 40° C. Culturing is continued until a maximum of L-amino acid has formed. This target is usually reached within 10 hours to 160 hours.

[0075] The analysis of L-amino acids can be carried out by anion exchange chromatography with subsequent ninhydrin derivatization, as described by Spackman, et al. (Analyt. Chem. 30:1190 (1958)), or it can take place by reversed phase HPLC as described by Lindroth, et al. (Analyt. Chem. 51:1167-1174 (1979)).

[0076] The following microorganism has been deposited at the Deutsche Sammlung für Mikrorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSMZ=German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany) in accordance with the Budapest Treaty: Escherichia coli K-12 DH5α/pEC-T18mob2 as DSM 13244.

[0077] The following figures are attached:

[0078]FIG. 1: Map of the plasmid pEC-T18mob2

[0079]FIG. 2: Map of the plasmid pMS82

[0080]FIG. 3: Map of the plasmid pMS82B

[0081] The base pair numbers stated are approximate values obtained in the context of reproducibility.

[0082] The abbreviations used have the following meaning: Re FIG. 1: Tet: Resistance gene for tetracycline oriV: Plasmid-coded replication origin of E. coli RP4mob: mob region for mobilizing the plasmid rep: Plasmid-coded replication origin from C. glutamicum plasmid pGA1 per: Gene for controlling the number of copies from pGA1 lacZ-alpha: lacZα gene fragment (N-terminus) of the β- galactosidase gene Re FIG. 2 and 3: Tet: Resistance gene for tetracycline rep: Plasmid-coded replication origin from C. glutamicum plasmid pGA1 per: Gene for controlling the number of copies from PGA1 lacZ: Cloning relict of the lacZα gene fragment from pEC- T18mob2 tkt: Transketolase gene

[0083] Moreover, the following abbreviations have been used: AccI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme AccI BamHI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme BamHI EcoRI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme EcoRI HindIII: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme HindIII KpnI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme KpnI PstI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme PstI PvuI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme PvuI SalI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme SalI SacI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme SacI SmaI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme SmaI SphI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme SphI XbaI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme XbaI XhoI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme XhoI

EXAMPLES

[0084] The following examples will further illustrate this invention. The molecular biology techniques, e.g. plasmid DNA isolation, restriction enzyme treatment, ligations, standard transformations of Escherichia coli etc. used are, (unless stated otherwise), described by Sambrook et al., (Molecular Cloning. A Laboratory Manual (1989) Cold Spring Harbour Laboratories, USA).

Example 1

[0085] Construction of a Gene Library of Corynebacterium glutamicum Strain AS019

[0086] A DNA library of Corynebacterium glutamicum strain ASO19 (Yoshihama et al., Journal of Bacteriology 162, 591-597 (1985)) was constructed using λ Zap Express™ system, (Short et al., (1988) Nucleic Acids Research, 16: 7583-7600), as described by O'Donohue (O'Donohue, M. (1997). The Cloning and Molecular Analysis of Four Common Aromatic Amino Acid Biosynthetic Genes from Corynebacterium glutamicum. Ph.D. Thesis, National University of Ireland, Galway.). λZap Express™ kit was purchased from Stratagene (Stratagene, 11011 North Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, Calif. 92037.) and used according to the manufacturers instructions. AS019-DNA was digested with restriction enzyme Sau3A and ligated to BamHI treated and dephosphorylated λZap Express™ arms.

Example 2

[0087] Cloning and Sequencing of the tkt Gene

[0088] 1. Cloning

[0089] An Escherichia coli strain, AI1118, carrying mutations in the tktA and tktB genes as described by Iida et al., 1993 (Identification and characterization of the tktB gene encoding a second transketolase in Escherichia coli K-12. Journal of Bacteriology 175: 5375-83), was transformed with approx. 500 ng of the AS019 λZap Express™ plasmid library described above. Selection for transformants was made on M9 minimal media, (Sambrook et al (1989). Molecular Cloning. A Laboratory Manual Cold Spring Harbour Laboratories, USA), containing kanamycin at a concentration of 50 mg/l and incubation at 37° C. for 48 hours. Plasmid DNA was isolated from one transformant as according to Birnboim and Doly, 1979, (A rapid alkaline extraction procedure for screening recombinant plasmid DNA. Nucleic Acids Research, 7: 1513-1523.), and designated pTSM2.

[0090] 2. Sequencing

[0091] The clone pTSM2 was commercially sequenced by MWG-Biotech Ltd., Waterside House, Peartree Bridge, Milton Keynes MK6 3BY, U.K. High purity plasmid DNA was prepared for MWG-Biotech, using the QIAprep Spin Miniprep Kit (QIAGEN GmbH, Max-Volmer-Strasse 4, 40724 Hilden, Germany), and subsequently freeze dried using a Lyovac GT 2 freeze dryer (Leybold Heraeus). Initial sequence analysis was carried out using the universal forward and M13 reverse primers. (SEQ ID NO:6) M13/pUC forward primer: 5′ GTAAAACGACGGCCAGT 3′ (SEQ ID NO:7) M13/pUC reverse primer: 5′ CAGGAAACAGCTATGAC 3′

[0092] An internal primer was subsequently designed from the sequence obtained which allowed the entire tkt gene to be deduced. The sequence of the internal primer was as follows: (SEQ ID NO:8) Internal primer 1: 5′ TGCAGCAACCAAGACTG 3′

[0093] Sequence obtained was then analysed using the DNA Strider programme, (Marck (1988), Nucleic Acids Research 16: 1829-1836), version 1.0 on an Apple Macintosh computer. This program allowed for analyses such as restriction site usage, open reading frame analysis and codon usage determination. Searches between DNA sequence obtained and those in EMBL and GenBank databases were achieved using the BLAST programme (Altschul et al., (1997). Nucleic Acids Research, 25: 3389-3402). DNA and protein sequences were aligned using the Clustal V and Clustal W programs (Higgins and Sharp, 1988 Gene 73: 237-244).

[0094] The sequence thus obtained is shown in SEQ ID NO 1. The analysis of the nucleotide sequence obtained revealed an open reading frame of 2094 base pairs which was designated as tkt gene. It codes for a protein of 697 amino acids shown in SEQ ID NO 2.

Example 3

[0095] Expression of the tkt Gene

[0096] 1. Preparation of the Shuttle Vector pEC-T18mob2

[0097] The E. coli-C. glutamicum shuttle vector pEC-T18mob2 was constructed according to the prior art. The vector contains the replication region rep of the plasmid pGA1 including the replication effector per (U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,108; Nesvera et al., Journal of Bacteriology 179, 1525-1532 (1997)), the tetracycline resistance-imparting tetA(Z) gene of the plasmid pAG1 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,891; gene library entry at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI, Bethesda, Md., USA) with accession number AF121000), the replication region oriV of the plasmid pMB1 (Sutcliffe, Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology 43, 77-90 (1979)), the lacZα gene fragment including the lac promoter and a multiple cloning site (mcs) (Norrander et al. Gene 26, 101-106 (1983)) and the mob region of the plasmid RP4 (Simon et al.,(1983) Bio/Technology 1:784-791).

[0098] The vector constructed was transformed in the E. coli strain DH5α (Hanahan, In: DNA cloning. A practical approach. Vol. I. IRL-Press, Oxford, Washington D.C., USA). Selection for plasmid-carrying cells was made by plating-out the transformation batch on LB agar (Sambrook et al., Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. 2^(nd) Ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), which had been supplemented with 5 mg/l tetracycline. Plasmid DNA was isolated from a transformant with the aid of the QIAprep Spin Miniprep Kit from Qiagen and checked by restriction with the restriction enzyme EcoRI and HindIII and subsequent agarose gel electrophoresis (0.8%).

[0099] The plasmid was called pEC-T18mob2 and is shown in FIG. 1. It is deposited in the form of the strain Escherichia coli K-12 strain DH5α/pEC-T18mob2 at the Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSMZ=German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany) as DSM 13244.

[0100] 2. Cloning of the tkt Gene into the E. coli-C. glutamicum Shuttle Vector pEC-T18mob2

[0101] PCR was used to amplify DNA fragments containing the entire tkt gene of C. glutamicum and flanking upstream and downstream regions. PCR reactions were carried out using oligonucleotide primers designed from SEQ ID NO 1. Genomic DNA was isolated from Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC13032 according to Heery and Dunican, (Applied and Environmental Microbiology 59: 791-799 (1993)) and approx. 150-200 ng used as template. The primers used were: (SEQ ID NO:9) tkt fwd. primer: 5′ CTG ATC ATC GGA TCT AAC GAA 3′ (SEQ ID NO:10) tkt rev. primer: 5′ ATT GCC CCG GGT TGA AGC TAA 3′

[0102] PCR parameters were as follows:

[0103] 35 cycles

[0104] 95° C. for 6 minutes

[0105] 94° C. for 1 minute

[0106] 55° C. for 1 minute

[0107] 72° C. for 45 seconds

[0108] 1 mM MgCl₂

[0109] The PCR product obtained was cloned into the commercially available pGEM-T vector purchased from Promega Corp. (PGEM-T Easy Vector System 1, cat. no. A1360, Promega UK, Southampton) using E. coli strain JM109 (Yanisch-Perron et al. Gene, 33: 103-119 (1985)) as a host. The entire tkt gene was subsequently isolated from the pGEM T-vector on an SphI/SalI fragment and cloned into the lacZ SphI/SalI region of the E. coli-C. glutamicum shuttle vector pEC-T18mob2 (FIG. 1), and designated pMS82 (FIG. 2). Restriction enzyme analysis with AccI (Boehringer Mannheim GmbH, Germany) revealed the incorrect orientation of the tkt gene in the lacZα gene of pEC-T18mob2. The orientation was corrected by restricting with EcoRI enzyme (Boehringher Mannheim GmbH, Germany) and religating. Restriction enzyme analysis with AccI (Boehringer Mannheim GmbH, Germany) revealed the correct orientation of the tkt gene in the lacZα gene (i.e., downstream the lac-Promoter) of pEC-T18mob2 and this plasmid was designated the name pMS82B (FIG. 3).

Example 4

[0110] Effect of Over-Expression of the tkt Gene in Various Lysine Producers

[0111] The L-lysine-producing strain Corynebacterium glutamicum DSM5715 is described in EP-B-0435132 and the strain DSM12866 is described in DE-A-19931314.8. Both strains are deposited at the Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures) in Braunschweig (Germany) in accordance with the Budapest Treaty.

[0112] 1. Preparation of the Strains DSM5715/pMS82B and DSM12866/pMS82B

[0113] The strains DSM5715 and DSM12866 were transformed with the plasmid pMS82B using the electroporation method described by Liebl et al. (FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 53:299-303 (1989)). Selection of the transformants took place on LBHIS agar comprising 18.5 g/l brain-heart infusion broth, 0.5 M sorbitol, 5 g/l Bacto-tryptone, 2.5 g/l Bacto-yeast extract, 5 g/l NaCl and 18 g/l Bacto-agar, which had been supplemented with 5 mg/l tetracycline. Incubation was carried out for 2 days at 33° C.

[0114] Plasmid DNA was isolated in each case from a transformant by conventional methods (Peters-Wendisch et al., Microbiol. 144:915-927 (1998)), cleaved with the restriction endonuclease AccI, and the plasmid was checked by subsequent agarose gel electrophoresis. The strains obtained in this way were called DSM5715/pMS82B and DSM12866/pMS82B.

[0115] 2. Preparation of L-lysine

[0116] The Corynebacterium glutamicum strains DSM5715/pMS82B and DSM12866/pMS82B obtained as described above were cultured in a nutrient medium suitable for the production of lysine and the lysine content in the culture supernatant was determined. For this, the strain was first incubated on an agar plate with the corresponding antibiotic (brain-heart agar with tetracycline (5 mg/l)) for 24 hours at 33° C. Starting from this agar plate culture, a preculture was seeded (10 ml medium in a 100 ml conical flask). The complete medium CgIII was used as the medium for the preculture. Medium Cg III NaCl 2.5 g/l Bacto-Peptone 10 g/l Bacto-Yeast extract 10 g/l Glucose (autoclaved separately) 2% (w/v) The pH was brought to pH 7.4

[0117] Tetracycline (5 mg/l) was added to this. The preculture was incubated for 16 hours at 33° C. at 240 rpm on a shaking machine. A main culture was seeded from this preculture such that the initial OD (660 nm) of the main culture was 0.1. Medium MM for the main culture. Medium MM CSL (corn steep liquor) 5 g/l MOPS (morpholinopropanesulfonic acid) 20 g/l Glucose (autoclaved separately) 50 g/l (NH₄)₂SO₄ 25 g/l KH₂PO₄ 0.1 g/l MgSO₄ * 7 H₂O 1.0 g/l CaCl₂ * 2 H₂O 10 mg/l FeSO₄ * 7 H₂O 10 mg/l MnSO₄ * H₂O 5.0 mg/l Biotin (sterile-filtered) 0.3 mg/l Thiamine * HCl (sterile-filtered) 0.2 mg/l L-Leucine (sterile-filtered) 0.1 g/l CaCO₃ 25 g/l

[0118] The CSL, MOPS and the salt solution were brought to pH 7 with aqueous ammonia and autoclaved. The sterile substrate and vitamin solutions were then added, as well as the CaCO₃ autoclaved in the dry state. Culturing is carried out in a 10 ml volume in a 100 ml conical flask with baffles. Tetracycline (5 mg/l) was added. Culturing was carried out at 33° C. and 80% atmospheric humidity.

[0119] After 72 hours, the OD was determined at a measurement wavelength of 660 nm with a Biomek 1000 (Beckmann Instruments GmbH, Munich). The amount of lysine formed was determined with an amino acid analyzer from Eppendorf-BioTronik (Hamburg, Germany) by ion exchange chromatography and post-column derivatization with ninhydrin detection.

[0120] The result of the experiment is shown in Table 1. TABLE 1 OD L-Lysine HCl Strain (660 nm) g/l DSM5715 7.2 14.1 DSM5715/pMS82B 7.2 14.8 DSM12866 10.9 15.3 DSM12866/pMS82B 11.2 16.8

Example 5

[0121] Preparation of a Genomic Cosmid Gene Library from Corynebacterium Glutamicum ATCC 13032

[0122] Chromosomal DNA from Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 was isolated as described by Tauch et al., (Plasmid 33:168-179 (1995)), and partly cleaved with the restriction enzyme Sau3AI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description Sau3AI, Code No. 27-0913-02). The DNA fragments were dephosphorylated with shrimp alkaline phosphatase (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany, Product Description SAP, Code No. 1758250). The DNA of the cosmid vector SuperCos1 (Wahl, et al., Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 84:2160-2164 (1987)), obtained from Stratagene (La Jolla, USA, Product Description SuperCos1 Cosmid Vektor Kit, Code No. 251301) was cleaved with the restriction enzyme XbaI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description XbaI, Code No. 27-0948-02) and likewise dephosphorylated with shrimp alkaline phosphatase. The cosmid DNA was then cleaved with the restriction enzyme BamHI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description BamHI, Code no. 27-0868-04).

[0123] The cosmid DNA treated in this manner was mixed with the treated ATCC13032 DNA and the batch was treated with T4 DNA ligase (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description T4-DNA-Ligase, Code no. 27-0870-04). The ligation mixture was then packed in phages with the aid of Gigapack II XL Packing Extracts (Stratagene, La Jolla, USA, Product Description Gigapack II XL Packing Extract, Code no. 200217). For infection of the E. coli strain NM554 (Raleigh, et al., Nucl. Ac. Res. 16:1563-1575 (1988)) the cells were taken up in 10 mM MgSO₄ and mixed with an aliquot of the phage suspension. The infection and titering of the cosmid library were carried out as described by Sambrook, et al. (Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor (1989)), the cells being plated out on LB agar (Lennox, 1955, Virology, 1:190)+100 μg/ml ampicillin. After incubation overnight at 37° C., recombinant individual clones were selected.

Example 6

[0124] Isolation and Sequencing of the poxB Gene

[0125] The cosmid DNA of an individual colony (Example 5) was isolated with the Qiaprep Spin Miniprep Kit (Product No. 27106, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and partly cleaved with the restriction enzyme Sau3AI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description Sau3AI, Product No. 27-0913-02). The DNA fragments were dephosphorylated with shrimp alkaline phosphatase (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany, Product Description SAP, Product No. 1758250). After separation by gel electrophoresis, the cosmid fragments in the size range of 1500 to 2000 bp were isolated with the QiaExII Gel Extraction Kit (Product No. 20021, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany).

[0126] The DNA of the sequencing vector pZero-1, obtained from Invitrogen (Groningen, Holland, Product Description Zero Background Cloning Kit, Product No. K2500-01) was cleaved with the restriction enzyme BamHI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description BamHI, Product No. 27-0868-04). The ligation of the cosmid fragments in the sequencing vector pZero-1 was carried out as described by Sambrook et al. (Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor (1989)), the DNA mixture being incubated overnight with T4 ligase (Pharmacia Biotech, Freiburg, Germany). This ligation mixture was then electroporated (Tauch, et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 123:343-7 (1994)) into the E. coli strain DH5αMCR (Grant, Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87:4645-4649 (1990)) and plated out on LB agar (Lennox, Virology, 1:190 (1955)) with 50 μg/ml zeocin.

[0127] The plasmid preparation of the recombinant clones was carried out with Biorobot 9600 (Product No. 900200, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The sequencing was carried out by the dideoxy chain-stopping method of Sanger, et al. (Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 74:5463-5467 (1977)) with modifications according to Zimmermann, et al. (Nuc. Ac. Res. 18:1067 (1990)). The “RR dRhodamin Terminator Cycle Sequencing Kit” from PE Applied Biosystems (Product No. 403044, Weiterstadt, Germany) was used. The separation by gel electrophoresis and analysis of the sequencing reaction were carried out in a “Rotiphoresis NF Acrylamide/Bisacrylamide” Gel (29:1) (Product No. A124.1, Roth, Karlsruhe, Germany) with the “ABI Prism 377” sequencer from PE Applied Biosystems (Weiterstadt, Germany).

[0128] The raw sequence data obtained was processed using the Staden program package (Nuc. Ac. Res. 14:217-231 (1986)) version 97-0. The individual sequences of the pZero1 derivatives were assembled to a continuous contig. The computer-assisted coding region analysis was prepared with the XNIP program (Staden, Nuc. Ac. Res. 14:217-231 (1986)). Further analyses were carried out with the “BLAST search programs” (Altschul, et al. (Nuc. Ac. Res. 25:3389-3402 (1997)), against the non-redundant databank of the “National Center for Biotechnology Information” (NCBI, Bethesda, Md., USA).

[0129] The resulting nucleotide sequence is shown in SEQ ID No:3. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence showed an open reading frame of 1737 base pairs, which was called the poxB gene. The poxB gene codes for a polypeptide of 579 amino acids (SEQ ID NO:4).

Example 7

[0130] Preparation of an Integration Vector for Integration Mutagenesis of the poxB Gene

[0131] From the strain ATCC 13032, chromosomal DNA was isolated by the method of Eikmanns, et al. (Microbiol. 140:1817-1828 (1994)). On the basis of the sequence of the poxB gene known for C. glutamicum from Example 8, the following oligonucleotides were chosen for the polymerase chain reaction: poxBint1: 5′ TGC GAG ATG GTG AAT GGT GG 3′ (SEQ ID NO:11) poxBint2: 5′ GCA TGA GGC AAC GCA TTA GC 3′ (SEQ ID NO:12)

[0132] Integration Mutagenesis of the poxB Gene in the Lysine Producer DSM 5715

[0133] The vector pCR2.1poxBint mentioned in Example 7, was electroporated by the method of Tauch et al. (FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 123:343-347 (1994)) in Corynebacterium glutamicum DSM 5715. Strain 5715 is an AEC-resistant lysine producer. The vector pCR2.1poxBint cannot replicate independently in DSM 5715. Selection of clones with pCR2.1poxBint integrated into the chromosome was carried out by plating the electroporation batch on LB agar (Sambrook, et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2^(nd) ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), which had been supplemented with 15 mg/l kanamycin. For detection of the integration, the poxBint fragment was labelled with the Dig hybridization kit from Boehringer by the method of “The Dig System Users Guide for Filter Hybridization” of Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Mannheim, Germany, 1993). Chromosomal DNA of a potential integrant was isolated by the method of Eikmanns, et al. (Microbiology 140:1817-1828 (1994)) and in each case cleaved with the restriction enzymes SalI, SacI, and HindIII. The fragments formed were separated by agarose gel electrophoresis and hybridized at 68° C. with the Dig hybridization kit from Boehringer. The plasmid pCR2.1poxBint mentioned in Example 9 has been inserted into the chromosome of DSM5715 within the chromosomal poxB gene. The strain was called DSM5715::pCR2.1poxBint.

Example 9

[0134] Effect of Over-Expression of the tkt Gene with Simultaneous Elimination of the poxb Gene on the Preparation of Lysine

[0135] 1. Preparation of the Strain DSM5717::pCR2.1poxBint/pMS82B

[0136] The strain DSM5715::pCR2.1poxBint was transformed with the plasmid pMS82B using the electroporation method described by Liebl, et al. (FEMS Microbiol Lett. 53:299-303 (1989)). Selection of the transformants took place on LBHIS agar comprising 18.5 g/l brain-heart infusion broth, 0.5M sorbitol, 5 g/l Bacto-tryptone, 2.5 g/l Bacto-yeast extract, 5 g/l NaCl and 18 g/l Bacto-agar, which had been supplemented with 5 mg/l tetracycline and 25 mg/l kanamycin. Incubation was carried out for 2 days at 33° C.

[0137] Plasmid DNA was isolated in each case from a transformant by conventional methods (Peters-Wendisch, et al., Microbiology 144:915-927 (1998)), cleaved with the restriction endonuclease ACCI, and the plasmid was checked by subsequent agarose gel electrophoresis. The strain obtained in this way was called DSM5715:pCR2.1poxBint/pMS82B.

[0138] 2. Preparation of Lysine

[0139] The C. glutamicum strain DSM5717::pCR2.1poxBint/pMS82B obtained as described in Example 9.1 was cultured in a nutrient medium suitable for the production of lysine and the lysine content in the culture supernatant was determined. For this, the strain was first incubated on an agar plate with the corresponding antibiotic (brain-heart agar with tetracycline (5 mg/l) and kanamycin (25 mg/l)) for 24 hours at 33° C. Starting from this agar plate culture, a preculture was seeded (10 ml medium in a 100 ml conical flask). The complete medium Cg III was used as the medium for the preculture. Medium CgIII NaCl 2.5 g/l Bacto-peptone 10 g/l Bacto-Yeast Extract 10 g/l Glucose (autoclaved separately) 2% (w/v) The pH was brought to 7.4

[0140] Tetracycline (5 mg/l) and kanamycin (25 mg/l) were added to this. The preculture was incubated for 16 hours at 33° C. at 240 rpm on a shaking machine. A main culture was seeded from this preculture such that the initial OD (660 nm) of the main culture was 0.1. Medium MM was used for the main culture. Medium MM CSL (corn steep liquor) 5 g/l MOPS (morpholinopropanesulfonic acid) 20 g/l Glucose (autoclaved separately) 58 g/l (NH₄)₂SO₄ 25 g/l KH₂PO₄ 0.1 g/l MgSO₄ * 7 H₂O 1.0 g/l CaCl₂ * 2 H₂O 10 mg/l FeSO₄ * 7 H₂O 10 mg/l MnSO₄ * H₂O 5.0 mg/l Biotin (sterile-filtered) 0.3 mg/l Thiamine * HCl (sterile-filtered) 0.2 mg/l L-Leucine (sterile-filtered) 0.1 g/l CaCO₃ 25 g/l

[0141] The CSL, MOPS and the salt solution were brought to pH 7 with aqueous ammonia and autoclaved. The sterile substrate and vitamin solutions were then added, as well as the CaCO₃ autoclaved in the dry state.

[0142] Culturing is carried out in a 10 ml volume in a 100 ml conical flask with baffles. Tetracycline (5 mg/ml) and kanamycin (25 mg/ml) were added. Culturing was carried out at 33° C. and 80% atmospheric humidity. After 72 hours, the OD was determined at a measurement wavelength of 660 nm with a Biomek 1000 (Beckmann Instruments GmbH, Munich). The amount of lysine formed was determined with an amino acid analyzer from Eppendorf-BioTronk (Hamburg, Germany) by ion exchange chromatography and post-column derivation with ninhydrin detection. The result of the experiment is shown in Table 2. TABLE 2 OD L-Lysine Strain (660 nm) g/l DSM5715 10.8 15.9 DSM5715::pCR2.1pox 7.1 16.7 Bint DSM5715::pCR2.1pox 7.7 17.3 Bint/pMS82B

[0143]

1 12 1 2350 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum CDS (205)..(2295) tkt 1 cgggtcagat taagcaaaga ctactttcgg ggtagatcac ctttgccaaa tttgaaccaa 60 ttaacctaag tcgtagatct gatcatcgga tctaacgaaa acgaaccaaa actttggtcc 120 cggtttaacc caggaaggat tgaccaccta acgaaaacga accaaaactt tggtcccggt 180 ttaacccagg aaggattgac cacc ttg acg ctg tca cct gaa ctt cag gcg 231 Met Thr Leu Ser Pro Glu Leu Gln Ala 1 5 ctc act gta cgc aat tac ccc tct gat tgg tcc gat gtg gac acc aag 279 Leu Thr Val Arg Asn Tyr Pro Ser Asp Trp Ser Asp Val Asp Thr Lys 10 15 20 25 gct gta gac act gtt cgt gtc ctc gct gca gac gct gta gaa aac tgt 327 Ala Val Asp Thr Val Arg Val Leu Ala Ala Asp Ala Val Glu Asn Cys 30 35 40 ggc tcc ggc cac cca ggc acc gca atg agc ctg gct ccc ctt gca tac 375 Gly Ser Gly His Pro Gly Thr Ala Met Ser Leu Ala Pro Leu Ala Tyr 45 50 55 acc ttg tac cag cgg gtt atg aac gta gat cca cag gac acc aac tgg 423 Thr Leu Tyr Gln Arg Val Met Asn Val Asp Pro Gln Asp Thr Asn Trp 60 65 70 gca ggc cgt gac cgc ttc gtt ctt tct tgt ggc cac tcc tct ttg acc 471 Ala Gly Arg Asp Arg Phe Val Leu Ser Cys Gly His Ser Ser Leu Thr 75 80 85 cag tac atc cag ctt tac ttg ggt gga ttc ggc ctt gag atg gat gac 519 Gln Tyr Ile Gln Leu Tyr Leu Gly Gly Phe Gly Leu Glu Met Asp Asp 90 95 100 105 ctg aag gct ctg cgc acc tgg gat tcc ttg acc cca gga cac cct gag 567 Leu Lys Ala Leu Arg Thr Trp Asp Ser Leu Thr Pro Gly His Pro Glu 110 115 120 tac cgc cac acc aag ggc gtt gag atc acc act ggc cct ctt ggc cag 615 Tyr Arg His Thr Lys Gly Val Glu Ile Thr Thr Gly Pro Leu Gly Gln 125 130 135 ggt ctt gca tct gca gtt ggt atg gcc atg gct gct cgt cgt gag cgt 663 Gly Leu Ala Ser Ala Val Gly Met Ala Met Ala Ala Arg Arg Glu Arg 140 145 150 ggc cta ttc gac cca acc gct gct gag ggc gaa tcc cca ttc gac cac 711 Gly Leu Phe Asp Pro Thr Ala Ala Glu Gly Glu Ser Pro Phe Asp His 155 160 165 cac atc tac gtc att gct tct gat ggt gac ctg cag gaa ggt gtc acc 759 His Ile Tyr Val Ile Ala Ser Asp Gly Asp Leu Gln Glu Gly Val Thr 170 175 180 185 tct gag gca tcc tcc atc gct ggc acc cag cag ctg ggc aac ctc atc 807 Ser Glu Ala Ser Ser Ile Ala Gly Thr Gln Gln Leu Gly Asn Leu Ile 190 195 200 gtg ttc tgg gat gac aac cgc atc tcc atc gaa gac aac act gag atc 855 Val Phe Trp Asp Asp Asn Arg Ile Ser Ile Glu Asp Asn Thr Glu Ile 205 210 215 gct ttc aac gag gac gtt gtt gct cgt tac aag gct tac ggc tgg cag 903 Ala Phe Asn Glu Asp Val Val Ala Arg Tyr Lys Ala Tyr Gly Trp Gln 220 225 230 acc att gag gtt gag gct ggc gag gac gtt gca gca atc gaa gct gca 951 Thr Ile Glu Val Glu Ala Gly Glu Asp Val Ala Ala Ile Glu Ala Ala 235 240 245 gtg gct gag gct aag aag gac acc aag cga cct acc ttc atc cgc gtt 999 Val Ala Glu Ala Lys Lys Asp Thr Lys Arg Pro Thr Phe Ile Arg Val 250 255 260 265 cgc acc atc atc ggc ttc cca gct cca act atg atg aac acc ggt gct 1047 Arg Thr Ile Ile Gly Phe Pro Ala Pro Thr Met Met Asn Thr Gly Ala 270 275 280 gtg cac ggt gct gct ctt ggc gca cgt gaa gtt gca gca acc aag act 1095 Val His Gly Ala Ala Leu Gly Ala Arg Glu Val Ala Ala Thr Lys Thr 285 290 295 gag ctt gga ttc gat cct gag gct cac ttc gcg atc gac gat gag gtt 1143 Glu Leu Gly Phe Asp Pro Glu Ala His Phe Ala Ile Asp Asp Glu Val 300 305 310 atc gct cac acc cgc tcc ctc gca gag cgc gct gca cag aag aag gct 1191 Ile Ala His Thr Arg Ser Leu Ala Glu Arg Ala Ala Gln Lys Lys Ala 315 320 325 gca tgg cag gtc aag ttc gat gag tgg gca gct gcc aac cct gag aac 1239 Ala Trp Gln Val Lys Phe Asp Glu Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn Pro Glu Asn 330 335 340 345 aag gct ctg ttc gat cgc ctg aac tcc cgt gag ctt cca gcg ggc tac 1287 Lys Ala Leu Phe Asp Arg Leu Asn Ser Arg Glu Leu Pro Ala Gly Tyr 350 355 360 gct gac gag ctc cca aca tgg gat gca gat gag aag ggc gtc gca act 1335 Ala Asp Glu Leu Pro Thr Trp Asp Ala Asp Glu Lys Gly Val Ala Thr 365 370 375 cgt aag gct tcc gag gct gca ctt cag gca ctg ggc aag acc ctt cct 1383 Arg Lys Ala Ser Glu Ala Ala Leu Gln Ala Leu Gly Lys Thr Leu Pro 380 385 390 gag ctg tgg ggc ggt tcc gct gac ctc gca ggt tcc aac aac acc gtg 1431 Glu Leu Trp Gly Gly Ser Ala Asp Leu Ala Gly Ser Asn Asn Thr Val 395 400 405 atc aag ggc tcc cct tcc ttc ggc cct gag tcc atc tcc acc gag acc 1479 Ile Lys Gly Ser Pro Ser Phe Gly Pro Glu Ser Ile Ser Thr Glu Thr 410 415 420 425 tgg tct gct gag cct tac ggc cgt aac ctg cac ttc ggt atc cgt gag 1527 Trp Ser Ala Glu Pro Tyr Gly Arg Asn Leu His Phe Gly Ile Arg Glu 430 435 440 cac gct atg gga tcc atc ctc aac ggc att tcc ctc cac ggt ggc acc 1575 His Ala Met Gly Ser Ile Leu Asn Gly Ile Ser Leu His Gly Gly Thr 445 450 455 cgc cca tac ggc gga acc ttc ctc atc ttc tcc gac tac atg cgt cct 1623 Arg Pro Tyr Gly Gly Thr Phe Leu Ile Phe Ser Asp Tyr Met Arg Pro 460 465 470 gca gtt cgt ctt gca gct ctc atg gag acc gac gct tac tac gtc tgg 1671 Ala Val Arg Leu Ala Ala Leu Met Glu Thr Asp Ala Tyr Tyr Val Trp 475 480 485 acc cac gac tcc atc ggt ctg ggc gaa gat ggc cca acc cac cag cct 1719 Thr His Asp Ser Ile Gly Leu Gly Glu Asp Gly Pro Thr His Gln Pro 490 495 500 505 gtt gaa acc ttg gct gca ctg cgc gcc atc cca ggt ctg tcc gtc ctg 1767 Val Glu Thr Leu Ala Ala Leu Arg Ala Ile Pro Gly Leu Ser Val Leu 510 515 520 cgt cct gca gat gcg aac gag acc gcc cag gct tgg gct gca gca ctt 1815 Arg Pro Ala Asp Ala Asn Glu Thr Ala Gln Ala Trp Ala Ala Ala Leu 525 530 535 gag tac aag gaa ggc cct aag ggt ctt gca ctg acc cgc cag aac gtt 1863 Glu Tyr Lys Glu Gly Pro Lys Gly Leu Ala Leu Thr Arg Gln Asn Val 540 545 550 cct gtt ctg gaa ggc acc aag gag aag gct gct gaa ggc gtt cgc cgc 1911 Pro Val Leu Glu Gly Thr Lys Glu Lys Ala Ala Glu Gly Val Arg Arg 555 560 565 ggt ggc tac gtc ctg gtt gag ggt tcc aag gaa acc cca gat gtg atc 1959 Gly Gly Tyr Val Leu Val Glu Gly Ser Lys Glu Thr Pro Asp Val Ile 570 575 580 585 ctc atg ggc tcc ggc tcc gag gtt cag ctt gca gtt aac gct gcg aag 2007 Leu Met Gly Ser Gly Ser Glu Val Gln Leu Ala Val Asn Ala Ala Lys 590 595 600 gct ctg gaa gct gag ggc gtt gca gct cgc gtt gtt tcc gtt cct tgc 2055 Ala Leu Glu Ala Glu Gly Val Ala Ala Arg Val Val Ser Val Pro Cys 605 610 615 atg gat tgg ttc cag gag cag gac gca gag tac atc gag tcc gtt ctg 2103 Met Asp Trp Phe Gln Glu Gln Asp Ala Glu Tyr Ile Glu Ser Val Leu 620 625 630 cct gca gct gtg acc gct cgt gtg tct gtt gaa gct ggc atc gca atg 2151 Pro Ala Ala Val Thr Ala Arg Val Ser Val Glu Ala Gly Ile Ala Met 635 640 645 cct tgg tac cgc ttc ttg ggc acc cag ggc cgt gct gtc tcc ctt gag 2199 Pro Trp Tyr Arg Phe Leu Gly Thr Gln Gly Arg Ala Val Ser Leu Glu 650 655 660 665 cac ttc ggt gct tct gcg gat tac cag acc ctg ttt gag aag ttc ggc 2247 His Phe Gly Ala Ser Ala Asp Tyr Gln Thr Leu Phe Glu Lys Phe Gly 670 675 680 atc acc acc gat gca gtc gtg gca gcg gcc aag gac tcc att aac ggt 2295 Ile Thr Thr Asp Ala Val Val Ala Ala Ala Lys Asp Ser Ile Asn Gly 685 690 695 taattgccct gctgttttta gcttcaaccc ggggcaatat gattctccgg aattt 2350 2 697 PRT Corynebacterium glutamicum 2 Met Thr Leu Ser Pro Glu Leu Gln Ala Leu Thr Val Arg Asn Tyr Pro 1 5 10 15 Ser Asp Trp Ser Asp Val Asp Thr Lys Ala Val Asp Thr Val Arg Val 20 25 30 Leu Ala Ala Asp Ala Val Glu Asn Cys Gly Ser Gly His Pro Gly Thr 35 40 45 Ala Met Ser Leu Ala Pro Leu Ala Tyr Thr Leu Tyr Gln Arg Val Met 50 55 60 Asn Val Asp Pro Gln Asp Thr Asn Trp Ala Gly Arg Asp Arg Phe Val 65 70 75 80 Leu Ser Cys Gly His Ser Ser Leu Thr Gln Tyr Ile Gln Leu Tyr Leu 85 90 95 Gly Gly Phe Gly Leu Glu Met Asp Asp Leu Lys Ala Leu Arg Thr Trp 100 105 110 Asp Ser Leu Thr Pro Gly His Pro Glu Tyr Arg His Thr Lys Gly Val 115 120 125 Glu Ile Thr Thr Gly Pro Leu Gly Gln Gly Leu Ala Ser Ala Val Gly 130 135 140 Met Ala Met Ala Ala Arg Arg Glu Arg Gly Leu Phe Asp Pro Thr Ala 145 150 155 160 Ala Glu Gly Glu Ser Pro Phe Asp His His Ile Tyr Val Ile Ala Ser 165 170 175 Asp Gly Asp Leu Gln Glu Gly Val Thr Ser Glu Ala Ser Ser Ile Ala 180 185 190 Gly Thr Gln Gln Leu Gly Asn Leu Ile Val Phe Trp Asp Asp Asn Arg 195 200 205 Ile Ser Ile Glu Asp Asn Thr Glu Ile Ala Phe Asn Glu Asp Val Val 210 215 220 Ala Arg Tyr Lys Ala Tyr Gly Trp Gln Thr Ile Glu Val Glu Ala Gly 225 230 235 240 Glu Asp Val Ala Ala Ile Glu Ala Ala Val Ala Glu Ala Lys Lys Asp 245 250 255 Thr Lys Arg Pro Thr Phe Ile Arg Val Arg Thr Ile Ile Gly Phe Pro 260 265 270 Ala Pro Thr Met Met Asn Thr Gly Ala Val His Gly Ala Ala Leu Gly 275 280 285 Ala Arg Glu Val Ala Ala Thr Lys Thr Glu Leu Gly Phe Asp Pro Glu 290 295 300 Ala His Phe Ala Ile Asp Asp Glu Val Ile Ala His Thr Arg Ser Leu 305 310 315 320 Ala Glu Arg Ala Ala Gln Lys Lys Ala Ala Trp Gln Val Lys Phe Asp 325 330 335 Glu Trp Ala Ala Ala Asn Pro Glu Asn Lys Ala Leu Phe Asp Arg Leu 340 345 350 Asn Ser Arg Glu Leu Pro Ala Gly Tyr Ala Asp Glu Leu Pro Thr Trp 355 360 365 Asp Ala Asp Glu Lys Gly Val Ala Thr Arg Lys Ala Ser Glu Ala Ala 370 375 380 Leu Gln Ala Leu Gly Lys Thr Leu Pro Glu Leu Trp Gly Gly Ser Ala 385 390 395 400 Asp Leu Ala Gly Ser Asn Asn Thr Val Ile Lys Gly Ser Pro Ser Phe 405 410 415 Gly Pro Glu Ser Ile Ser Thr Glu Thr Trp Ser Ala Glu Pro Tyr Gly 420 425 430 Arg Asn Leu His Phe Gly Ile Arg Glu His Ala Met Gly Ser Ile Leu 435 440 445 Asn Gly Ile Ser Leu His Gly Gly Thr Arg Pro Tyr Gly Gly Thr Phe 450 455 460 Leu Ile Phe Ser Asp Tyr Met Arg Pro Ala Val Arg Leu Ala Ala Leu 465 470 475 480 Met Glu Thr Asp Ala Tyr Tyr Val Trp Thr His Asp Ser Ile Gly Leu 485 490 495 Gly Glu Asp Gly Pro Thr His Gln Pro Val Glu Thr Leu Ala Ala Leu 500 505 510 Arg Ala Ile Pro Gly Leu Ser Val Leu Arg Pro Ala Asp Ala Asn Glu 515 520 525 Thr Ala Gln Ala Trp Ala Ala Ala Leu Glu Tyr Lys Glu Gly Pro Lys 530 535 540 Gly Leu Ala Leu Thr Arg Gln Asn Val Pro Val Leu Glu Gly Thr Lys 545 550 555 560 Glu Lys Ala Ala Glu Gly Val Arg Arg Gly Gly Tyr Val Leu Val Glu 565 570 575 Gly Ser Lys Glu Thr Pro Asp Val Ile Leu Met Gly Ser Gly Ser Glu 580 585 590 Val Gln Leu Ala Val Asn Ala Ala Lys Ala Leu Glu Ala Glu Gly Val 595 600 605 Ala Ala Arg Val Val Ser Val Pro Cys Met Asp Trp Phe Gln Glu Gln 610 615 620 Asp Ala Glu Tyr Ile Glu Ser Val Leu Pro Ala Ala Val Thr Ala Arg 625 630 635 640 Val Ser Val Glu Ala Gly Ile Ala Met Pro Trp Tyr Arg Phe Leu Gly 645 650 655 Thr Gln Gly Arg Ala Val Ser Leu Glu His Phe Gly Ala Ser Ala Asp 660 665 670 Tyr Gln Thr Leu Phe Glu Lys Phe Gly Ile Thr Thr Asp Ala Val Val 675 680 685 Ala Ala Ala Lys Asp Ser Ile Asn Gly 690 695 3 2160 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum CDS (327)..(2063) poxB 3 ttagaggcga ttctgtgagg tcactttttg tggggtcggg gtctaaattt ggccagtttt 60 cgaggcgacc agacaggcgt gcccacgatg tttaaatagg cgatcggtgg gcatctgtgt 120 ttggtttcga cgggctgaaa ccaaaccaga ctgcccagca acgacggaaa tcccaaaagt 180 gggcatccct gtttggtacc gagtacccac ccgggcctga aactccctgg caggcgggcg 240 aagcgtggca acaactggaa tttaagagca caattgaagt cgcaccaagt taggcaacac 300 aatagccata acgttgagga gttcag atg gca cac agc tac gca gaa caa tta 353 Met Ala His Ser Tyr Ala Glu Gln Leu 1 5 att gac act ttg gaa gct caa ggt gtg aag cga att tat ggt ttg gtg 401 Ile Asp Thr Leu Glu Ala Gln Gly Val Lys Arg Ile Tyr Gly Leu Val 10 15 20 25 ggt gac agc ctt aat ccg atc gtg gat gct gtc cgc caa tca gat att 449 Gly Asp Ser Leu Asn Pro Ile Val Asp Ala Val Arg Gln Ser Asp Ile 30 35 40 gag tgg gtg cac gtt cga aat gag gaa gcg gcg gcg ttt gca gcc ggt 497 Glu Trp Val His Val Arg Asn Glu Glu Ala Ala Ala Phe Ala Ala Gly 45 50 55 gcg gaa tcg ttg atc act ggg gag ctg gca gta tgt gct gct tct tgt 545 Ala Glu Ser Leu Ile Thr Gly Glu Leu Ala Val Cys Ala Ala Ser Cys 60 65 70 ggt cct gga aac aca cac ctg att cag ggt ctt tat gat tcg cat cga 593 Gly Pro Gly Asn Thr His Leu Ile Gln Gly Leu Tyr Asp Ser His Arg 75 80 85 aat ggt gcg aag gtg ttg gcc atc gct agc cat att ccg agt gcc cag 641 Asn Gly Ala Lys Val Leu Ala Ile Ala Ser His Ile Pro Ser Ala Gln 90 95 100 105 att ggt tcg acg ttc ttc cag gaa acg cat ccg gag att ttg ttt aag 689 Ile Gly Ser Thr Phe Phe Gln Glu Thr His Pro Glu Ile Leu Phe Lys 110 115 120 gaa tgc tct ggt tac tgc gag atg gtg aat ggt ggt gag cag ggt gaa 737 Glu Cys Ser Gly Tyr Cys Glu Met Val Asn Gly Gly Glu Gln Gly Glu 125 130 135 cgc att ttg cat cac gcg att cag tcc acc atg gcg ggt aaa ggt gtg 785 Arg Ile Leu His His Ala Ile Gln Ser Thr Met Ala Gly Lys Gly Val 140 145 150 tcg gtg gta gtg att cct ggt gat atc gct aag gaa gac gca ggt gac 833 Ser Val Val Val Ile Pro Gly Asp Ile Ala Lys Glu Asp Ala Gly Asp 155 160 165 ggt act tat tcc aat tcc act att tct tct ggc act cct gtg gtg ttc 881 Gly Thr Tyr Ser Asn Ser Thr Ile Ser Ser Gly Thr Pro Val Val Phe 170 175 180 185 ccg gat cct act gag gct gca gcg ctg gtg gag gcg att aac aac gct 929 Pro Asp Pro Thr Glu Ala Ala Ala Leu Val Glu Ala Ile Asn Asn Ala 190 195 200 aag tct gtc act ttg ttc tgc ggt gcg ggc gtg aag aat gct cgc gcg 977 Lys Ser Val Thr Leu Phe Cys Gly Ala Gly Val Lys Asn Ala Arg Ala 205 210 215 cag gtg ttg gag ttg gcg gag aag att aaa tca ccg atc ggg cat gcg 1025 Gln Val Leu Glu Leu Ala Glu Lys Ile Lys Ser Pro Ile Gly His Ala 220 225 230 ctg ggt ggt aag cag tac atc cag cat gag aat ccg ttt gag gtc ggc 1073 Leu Gly Gly Lys Gln Tyr Ile Gln His Glu Asn Pro Phe Glu Val Gly 235 240 245 atg tct ggc ctg ctt ggt tac ggc gcc tgc gtg gat gcg tcc aat gag 1121 Met Ser Gly Leu Leu Gly Tyr Gly Ala Cys Val Asp Ala Ser Asn Glu 250 255 260 265 gcg gat ctg ctg att cta ttg ggt acg gat ttc cct tat tct gat ttc 1169 Ala Asp Leu Leu Ile Leu Leu Gly Thr Asp Phe Pro Tyr Ser Asp Phe 270 275 280 ctt cct aaa gac aac gtt gcc cag gtg gat atc aac ggt gcg cac att 1217 Leu Pro Lys Asp Asn Val Ala Gln Val Asp Ile Asn Gly Ala His Ile 285 290 295 ggt cga cgt acc acg gtg aag tat ccg gtg acc ggt gat gtt gct gca 1265 Gly Arg Arg Thr Thr Val Lys Tyr Pro Val Thr Gly Asp Val Ala Ala 300 305 310 aca atc gaa aat att ttg cct cat gtg aag gaa aaa aca gat cgt tcc 1313 Thr Ile Glu Asn Ile Leu Pro His Val Lys Glu Lys Thr Asp Arg Ser 315 320 325 ttc ctt gat cgg atg ctc aag gca cac gag cgt aag ttg agc tcg gtg 1361 Phe Leu Asp Arg Met Leu Lys Ala His Glu Arg Lys Leu Ser Ser Val 330 335 340 345 gta gag acg tac aca cat aac gtc gag aag cat gtg cct att cac cct 1409 Val Glu Thr Tyr Thr His Asn Val Glu Lys His Val Pro Ile His Pro 350 355 360 gaa tac gtt gcc tct att ttg aac gag ctg gcg gat aag gat gcg gtg 1457 Glu Tyr Val Ala Ser Ile Leu Asn Glu Leu Ala Asp Lys Asp Ala Val 365 370 375 ttt act gtg gat acc ggc atg tgc aat gtg tgg cat gcg agg tac atc 1505 Phe Thr Val Asp Thr Gly Met Cys Asn Val Trp His Ala Arg Tyr Ile 380 385 390 gag aat ccg gag gga acg cgc gac ttt gtg ggt tca ttc cgc cac ggc 1553 Glu Asn Pro Glu Gly Thr Arg Asp Phe Val Gly Ser Phe Arg His Gly 395 400 405 acg atg gct aat gcg ttg cct cat gcg att ggt gcg caa agt gtt gat 1601 Thr Met Ala Asn Ala Leu Pro His Ala Ile Gly Ala Gln Ser Val Asp 410 415 420 425 cga aac cgc cag gtg atc gcg atg tgt ggc gat ggt ggt ttg ggc atg 1649 Arg Asn Arg Gln Val Ile Ala Met Cys Gly Asp Gly Gly Leu Gly Met 430 435 440 ctg ctg ggt gag ctt ctg acc gtt aag ctg cac caa ctt ccg ctg aag 1697 Leu Leu Gly Glu Leu Leu Thr Val Lys Leu His Gln Leu Pro Leu Lys 445 450 455 gct gtg gtg ttt aac aac agt tct ttg ggc atg gtg aag ttg gag atg 1745 Ala Val Val Phe Asn Asn Ser Ser Leu Gly Met Val Lys Leu Glu Met 460 465 470 ctc gtg gag gga cag cca gaa ttt ggt act gac cat gag gaa gtg aat 1793 Leu Val Glu Gly Gln Pro Glu Phe Gly Thr Asp His Glu Glu Val Asn 475 480 485 ttc gca gag att gcg gcg gct gcg ggt atc aaa tcg gta cgc atc acc 1841 Phe Ala Glu Ile Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Ile Lys Ser Val Arg Ile Thr 490 495 500 505 gat ccg aag aaa gtt cgc gag cag cta gct gag gca ttg gca tat cct 1889 Asp Pro Lys Lys Val Arg Glu Gln Leu Ala Glu Ala Leu Ala Tyr Pro 510 515 520 gga cct gta ctg atc gat atc gtc acg gat cct aat gcg ctg tcg atc 1937 Gly Pro Val Leu Ile Asp Ile Val Thr Asp Pro Asn Ala Leu Ser Ile 525 530 535 cca cca acc atc acg tgg gaa cag gtc atg gga ttc agc aag gcg gcc 1985 Pro Pro Thr Ile Thr Trp Glu Gln Val Met Gly Phe Ser Lys Ala Ala 540 545 550 acc cga acc gtc ttt ggt gga gga gta gga gcg atg atc gat ctg gcc 2033 Thr Arg Thr Val Phe Gly Gly Gly Val Gly Ala Met Ile Asp Leu Ala 555 560 565 cgt tcg aac ata agg aat att cct act cca tgatgattga tacacctgct 2083 Arg Ser Asn Ile Arg Asn Ile Pro Thr Pro 570 575 gttctcattg accgcgagcg cttaactgcc aacatttcca ggatggcagc tcacgccggt 2143 gcccatgaga ttgccct 2160 4 579 PRT Corynebacterium glutamicum 4 Met Ala His Ser Tyr Ala Glu Gln Leu Ile Asp Thr Leu Glu Ala Gln 1 5 10 15 Gly Val Lys Arg Ile Tyr Gly Leu Val Gly Asp Ser Leu Asn Pro Ile 20 25 30 Val Asp Ala Val Arg Gln Ser Asp Ile Glu Trp Val His Val Arg Asn 35 40 45 Glu Glu Ala Ala Ala Phe Ala Ala Gly Ala Glu Ser Leu Ile Thr Gly 50 55 60 Glu Leu Ala Val Cys Ala Ala Ser Cys Gly Pro Gly Asn Thr His Leu 65 70 75 80 Ile Gln Gly Leu Tyr Asp Ser His Arg Asn Gly Ala Lys Val Leu Ala 85 90 95 Ile Ala Ser His Ile Pro Ser Ala Gln Ile Gly Ser Thr Phe Phe Gln 100 105 110 Glu Thr His Pro Glu Ile Leu Phe Lys Glu Cys Ser Gly Tyr Cys Glu 115 120 125 Met Val Asn Gly Gly Glu Gln Gly Glu Arg Ile Leu His His Ala Ile 130 135 140 Gln Ser Thr Met Ala Gly Lys Gly Val Ser Val Val Val Ile Pro Gly 145 150 155 160 Asp Ile Ala Lys Glu Asp Ala Gly Asp Gly Thr Tyr Ser Asn Ser Thr 165 170 175 Ile Ser Ser Gly Thr Pro Val Val Phe Pro Asp Pro Thr Glu Ala Ala 180 185 190 Ala Leu Val Glu Ala Ile Asn Asn Ala Lys Ser Val Thr Leu Phe Cys 195 200 205 Gly Ala Gly Val Lys Asn Ala Arg Ala Gln Val Leu Glu Leu Ala Glu 210 215 220 Lys Ile Lys Ser Pro Ile Gly His Ala Leu Gly Gly Lys Gln Tyr Ile 225 230 235 240 Gln His Glu Asn Pro Phe Glu Val Gly Met Ser Gly Leu Leu Gly Tyr 245 250 255 Gly Ala Cys Val Asp Ala Ser Asn Glu Ala Asp Leu Leu Ile Leu Leu 260 265 270 Gly Thr Asp Phe Pro Tyr Ser Asp Phe Leu Pro Lys Asp Asn Val Ala 275 280 285 Gln Val Asp Ile Asn Gly Ala His Ile Gly Arg Arg Thr Thr Val Lys 290 295 300 Tyr Pro Val Thr Gly Asp Val Ala Ala Thr Ile Glu Asn Ile Leu Pro 305 310 315 320 His Val Lys Glu Lys Thr Asp Arg Ser Phe Leu Asp Arg Met Leu Lys 325 330 335 Ala His Glu Arg Lys Leu Ser Ser Val Val Glu Thr Tyr Thr His Asn 340 345 350 Val Glu Lys His Val Pro Ile His Pro Glu Tyr Val Ala Ser Ile Leu 355 360 365 Asn Glu Leu Ala Asp Lys Asp Ala Val Phe Thr Val Asp Thr Gly Met 370 375 380 Cys Asn Val Trp His Ala Arg Tyr Ile Glu Asn Pro Glu Gly Thr Arg 385 390 395 400 Asp Phe Val Gly Ser Phe Arg His Gly Thr Met Ala Asn Ala Leu Pro 405 410 415 His Ala Ile Gly Ala Gln Ser Val Asp Arg Asn Arg Gln Val Ile Ala 420 425 430 Met Cys Gly Asp Gly Gly Leu Gly Met Leu Leu Gly Glu Leu Leu Thr 435 440 445 Val Lys Leu His Gln Leu Pro Leu Lys Ala Val Val Phe Asn Asn Ser 450 455 460 Ser Leu Gly Met Val Lys Leu Glu Met Leu Val Glu Gly Gln Pro Glu 465 470 475 480 Phe Gly Thr Asp His Glu Glu Val Asn Phe Ala Glu Ile Ala Ala Ala 485 490 495 Ala Gly Ile Lys Ser Val Arg Ile Thr Asp Pro Lys Lys Val Arg Glu 500 505 510 Gln Leu Ala Glu Ala Leu Ala Tyr Pro Gly Pro Val Leu Ile Asp Ile 515 520 525 Val Thr Asp Pro Asn Ala Leu Ser Ile Pro Pro Thr Ile Thr Trp Glu 530 535 540 Gln Val Met Gly Phe Ser Lys Ala Ala Thr Arg Thr Val Phe Gly Gly 545 550 555 560 Gly Val Gly Ala Met Ile Asp Leu Ala Arg Ser Asn Ile Arg Asn Ile 565 570 575 Pro Thr Pro 5 875 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum 5 tgcgagatgg tgaatggtgg tgagcagggt gaacgcattt tgcatcacgc gattcagtcc 60 accatggcgg gtaaaggtgt gtcggtggta gtgattcctg gtgatatcgc taaggaagac 120 gcaggtgacg gtacttattc caattccact atttcttctg gcactcctgt ggtgttcccg 180 gatcctactg aggctgcagc gctggtggag gcgattaaca acgctaagtc tgtcactttg 240 ttctgcggtg cgggcgtgaa gaatgctcgc gcgcaggtgt tggagttggc ggagaagatt 300 aaatcaccga tcgggcatgc gctgggtggt aagcagtaca tccagcatga gaatccgttt 360 gaggtcggca tgtctggcct gcttggttac ggcgcctgcg tggatgcgtc caatgaggcg 420 gatctgctga ttctattggg tacggatttc ccttattctg atttccttcc taaagacaac 480 gttgcccagg tggatatcaa cggtgcgcac attggtcgac gtaccacggt gaagtatccg 540 gtgaccggtg atgttgctgc aacaatcgaa aatattttgc ctcatgtgaa ggaaaaaaca 600 gatcgttcct tccttgatcg gatgctcaag gcacacgagc gtaagttgag ctcggtggta 660 gagacgtaca cacataacgt cgagaagcat gtgcctattc accctgaata cgttgcctct 720 attttgaacg agctggcgga taaggatgcg gtgtttactg tggataccgg catgtgcaat 780 gtgtggcatg cgaggtacat cgagaatccg gagggaacgc gcgactttgt gggttcattc 840 cgccacggca cgatggctaa tgcgttgcct catgc 875 6 17 DNA Artificial sequence Description of artificial sequence M13/pUC forward primer 6 gtaaaacgac ggccagt 17 7 17 DNA Artificial sequence Description of artificial sequence M13/pUC reverse primer 7 caggaaacag ctatgac 17 8 17 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum Internal primer 1 8 tgcagcaacc aagactg 17 9 21 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum tkt fwd. primer 9 ctgatcatcg gatctaacga a 21 10 21 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum tkt rev. primer 10 attgccccgg gttgaagcta a 21 11 20 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum Primer poxBint1 11 tgcgagatgg tgaatggtgg 20 12 20 DNA Corynebacterium glutamicum Primer poxBint2 12 gcatgaggca acgcattagc 20 

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for the preparation of L-lysine or L-threonine by the fermentation of coryneform bacteria, comprising: a) fermenting L-lysine or L-threonine producing bacteria in which the endogenous gene coding for transketolase (tkt) is over-expressed; and b) isolating said L-lysine or said L-threonine from said bacteria or from the medium in which said bacteria are fermented.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein said process is for the preparation of L-lysine and, in addition to over-expressing said endogenous gene coding for tkt, said bacteria have at least one additional endogenous gene that is over-expressed or amplified, said additinal endogenous gene being selected from the group consisting of: (a) the dapA gene which codes for dihydrodipicolinate synthase; (b) the lysC gene which codes for a feedback resistant aspartate kinase; (c) the gap gene which codes for glycerolaldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; (d) the pyc gene which codes for pyruvate carboxylase; (e) the zwf gene which codes for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase; (f) the gnd gene which codes for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase; (g) the lysE gene which codes for lysine export protein; (h) the mqo gene which codes for malate-quinone oxidoreductase; and the eno gene which codes for enolase.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein said process is for the preparation of L-threonine and, in addition to over-expressing said endogenous gene coding for tkt, said bacteria have at least one additional endogenous gene that is over-expressed or amplified, said additinal endogenous gene being selected from the group consisting of: the hom gene which codes for homoserine dehydrogenase; the hom^(dr) allele which codes for a “feed back resistant” homoserine dehydrogenase; (c) the gap gene which codes for glycerolaldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; (d) the pyc gene which codes for pyruvate carboxylase; (e) the mqo gene which codes for malate:quinone oxidoreductase; (f) the zwf gene which codes for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase; (g) the gnd gene which codes for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase; (h) the thrE gene which codes for threonine export protein; and (i) the eno gene which codes for enolase.
 4. The process of claim 1, wherein said process is for the preparation of L-lysine and, in addition to over-expressing said endogenous gene coding for tkt, said bacteria have at least one endogenous gene that is attenuated, said endogenous gene being selected from the group consisting of: (a) the pck gene which codes for phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase; and (b) the poxB gene which codes for pyruvate oxidase. The process of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the over-expression or amplification of said gene coding for tkt or said additional endogenous gene is accomplished by transforming said bacteria with a plasmid vector carrying said gene coding for tkt or said additional endogenous gene.
 6. A plasmid vector pEC-T18mob2 deposited under the designation DSM 13244 in K-12 DH5α, shown in FIG.
 1. 7. A plasmid vector pEC-T18mob2 as claimed in claim 6, which additionally carries the tkt gene.
 8. A coryneform microorganism, in particular of the genus Corynebacterium, transformed by the introduction of the plasmid vector as claimed in claim 10, which additionally contains the tkt gene. 